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Subject: Re: A Question About Practical Differences

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 20:22:51 01/11/06

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On January 11, 2006 at 23:15:10, G. R. Morton wrote:

>According to at least some test results eg.
>http://www.utzingerk.com/rating_list.htm the top few chess engines seem to me
>fairly close to each other in overall playing strength. So if a chess master (or
>even a GM) would play dozens of games with each of the latest versions of, say,
>Rybka and Toga II (without knowing which is which to preclude bias potential)
>could he with any confidence say which is stronger?
>
>I suspect not, but I’m only asking because Toga II now is free.  I wish Vasik
>commercial success to encourage development but I still ask: could even a GM
>tell the difference in strength, or learn more from one more than the other?

Probably, it would be very hard for a GM to discern the strength difference
between Rybka and Shredder or Fruit.

However, if a GM has an interesting position, and lets those same three
interesting engines churn away at it, the GM may get different opinions.
By studying the thinking of the engines, a new novelty may be found or a bust or
any of a number of things.

The engines may all give bad answers, or good answers or tremenous answers.  The
GM will be in a better position to judge the quality of the answers than most
people.

I am suggesting that 4 top engines will be far more likely to come up with
something fresh and interesting than 1.



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